Coes Wrenches

[AntiqueBen]

Nice find! Keep it clean & it will last forever.

 

[d42jeep]

Thanks. The all metal ones seem pretty much indestructible. I’ll be happy to add this big one and the wood handled one to my basement display.
-Don

 

[russon81]

I have a very similar Coes wrench I'm in the process of restoring, and had a question about straightening it out. Someone in the past managed to bend it, and I want to true it up. Does anyone have any experience in heating it up and straightening it back out? As it stands, it's too bent to close less than about an inch. I have a forge and an oxy acetylene torch. My plan was to get it red hot and bend it true on my anvil. I have no idea what kind of steel these are made of, so I don't want accidentally soften, or over-harden the steel. I'm an amateur bladesmith, so I have some experience working steel, but I don't want to ruin it trying to "fix" it.

 

[four.cycle]

^ That is one impressive collection there, Don.... there's some really nice pieces there!
I must have missed this one... posted in August so I was probably gone.

@russon81 - I've never attempted such a thing. Not sure what the outcome might be. I have several small wrenches that have been tweaked by previous owners by pushing them beyond their limits, but I choose to leave them as is - those bends tell a story.

 

[crguy]

I have a very similar Coes wrench I'm in the process of restoring, and had a question about straightening it out. Someone in the past managed to bend it, and I want to true it up. Does anyone have any experience in heating it up and straightening it back out? As it stands, it's too bent to close less than about an inch. I have a forge and an oxy acetylene torch. My plan was to get it red hot and bend it true on my anvil. I have no idea what kind of steel these are made of, so I don't want accidentally soften, or over-harden the steel. I'm an amateur bladesmith, so I have some experience working steel, but I don't want to ruin it trying to "fix" it.

I would just put it in the press and straighten it. It was bent that way cold, and it's not cast that would break. And if something did go wrong, it's not like it's a rare wrench.

 

[Farmer J.]

I have a very similar Coes wrench I'm in the process of restoring, and had a question about straightening it out. Someone in the past managed to bend it, and I want to true it up. Does anyone have any experience in heating it up and straightening it back out? As it stands, it's too bent to close less than about an inch. I have a forge and an oxy acetylene torch. My plan was to get it red hot and bend it true on my anvil. I have no idea what kind of steel these are made of, so I don't want accidentally soften, or over-harden the steel. I'm an amateur bladesmith, so I have some experience working steel, but I don't want to ruin it trying to "fix" it.

As you have the facilities to heat it up I would go ahead and gently straiten it on your anvil. Hot metal is easier to bend than cold.

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

I still have a lot more reading to do on these. But I found a another Kennedy box with a bunch of old tools in the shop that I forgot I have. But one is this old Cose wrench. I've been reading so much about everything I don't know how you guys maintain all this information. Yall must be young.

 

[Shiftless]

This thread has lost some of its momentum. (Understatement)
If anybody has something to add, now is a good time.

 

[AntiqueBen]

I can count on one hand the number of monkey wrenches - of any brand - that I have purchased at flea markets. They're one of the tools that are so commonly seen I tend to ignore them completely and walk right past without more than a cursory glance. That doesn't mean they aren't cool to collect. Like hand planes, they kind of have their own universe. It's just not one I'm interested in diving into encyclopedically, or even enough to know a rare bird if I saw one. Something has to catch my eye as unusual for me to pick it up on a whim or instinct, and in this case, it was the ferrule.

It has the routine "COES WRENCH CO. / WORCESTER, MASS." marking (see Pic 3) on the static jaw. Rather than the more commonly seen "MFD UNDER L. COES' PATS / STEEL" marking on the flip side, however, it's marked "L. COES / PAT'D / DEC. 15 1891 / APR. 30, 1895" (see Pic 4). Those dates refer to patents 465,347 and 538,411 respectively. See Pics 5 & 6 c/o DATAMP.

Those patents were focused on improving the continuity of the bar-shank, the ferrule, and the wooden handle halves. The visible part of that design modification are those pieces of metal protruding into the wooden handle halves, which Loring Coes called, alternately, "tongues," "braces" or "arms," but most frequently "tongues." In Loring's applications, "to render the handle more firm and rigid in connection with the bar-shank," and to provide "over-locking support."

I wouldn't call them rare. This isn't some ultra valuable score. But, per Davistown Museum, Herb Page, and DATAMP, they're apparently less common.

Turns out I have a Coes stamped like yours Lugz, just different patent dates & mine is 8" long. The only other difference I noticed is the metal that comes down into the top of your handle. I think that's how all the 6" handles were.

 

[AntiqueBen]

Here's a nice older 6" A.G. Coes. Note the older shape of the handle & the different logo with the 1871 patent date.

 

[AntiqueBen]

Here's a nice older 6" A.G. Coes. Note the older shape of the handle & the different logo with the 1871 patent date.

I didn't realize A.G. Coes wrenches were only made from 1869-1881.

 

[AntiqueBen]

I keep finding interesting info on this A.G. Coes wrench. The actual patent date was December 26, 1871. My wrench is stamped December 25, 1871. I have ran into a few mis-stampings of patent dates before, so add this one to that list. Does anyone have a Coes wrench stamped with the correct patent date of December 26, 1871? Just wandering if all of this particular patent was mis-stamped? Guess you could call this one the "Coes Christmas Model."

US Patent: 122,108 - Improvement in Wrenches

US patent 122,108 Improvement in Wrenches was issued to Aury Gates Coes of Worcester, MA. It was granted on 12/26/1871. The patent is for a threaded collar that attaches the ferule to the wrench shank, and "flanges" on the interior of the ferule for the collar to bear o

www.datamp.org

 

[AntiqueBen]

Here is my double stamped 15" Billings/Coes wrench. Since Billings didn't buy out Bemis & Call/Coes until 1939 this wrench probably dates to the 40's. I'm wandering now, when did the production of this style of wrench stop?

 

[four.cycle]

^ errr..... when they finally ran out of wood to make the handles? I think those were in production a lonnnnnng time.

 

[d42jeep]

This thread has lost some of its momentum. (Understatement)
If anybody has something to add, now is a good time.

The monkey clan keeps growing in the basement. It recently welcomed a new Bonney member.
-Don

 

[AntiqueBen]

I found a 21" Coes monkey wrench today. I don't see to many 21" versions out in the wild much anymore. I was surprised to see the 1880 & 1884 patents on it. Usually when I find these it's the later stamp Mfg'd Under Coes Pat's. It's in overall good shape & the handle is nice. I believe these were the first patent dates for the knife handle.

 

[AntiqueBen]

The 21" still pales in comparison to my 30" Coes Key Wrench.

 

[AntiqueBen]

The earliest ad I've found so far on the Coes Knife Handle Wrench is from 1885 (first pic below). The second pic below seems very odd to me. It looks like the Chicago House Wrecking Company bought 15,000 Coes Knife Handle Wrenches from a Sheriff's sale as stated in this ad from 1899. I've never heard of this happening? Anyone know any details on this??

 

[RTM]

Silly question, I have a Coes wrench that was rusted stupid solid stuck. I stuck it into Evaporust for a few days, and it looks better, but still stuck stupid solid. It's relatively open, and I managed to get the adjuster to move maybe 3/4 of a rotation, but the jaw never moved. I'm able to get a thin strip between the jaw and the bar, and wiggles fine, with space.

Any clues as to how dislodge the jaw, getting it to move? I've tried heat from a small butane torch, light pressure both opening and closing it, and nothing yet. How much pressure can I exert without breaking it? It's not a collection quality tool, as the flip side shows, so I'm not gonna buy tons of effort into it, mostly a learning exercise. Thanks.

 

[AntiqueBen]

Silly question, I have a Coes wrench that was rusted stupid solid stuck. I stuck it into Evaporust for a few days, and it looks better, but still stuck stupid solid. It's relatively open, and I managed to get the adjuster to move maybe 3/4 of a rotation, but the jaw never moved. I'm able to get a thin strip between the jaw and the bar, and wiggles fine, with space.

Any clues as to how dislodge the jaw, getting it to move? I've tried heat from a small butane torch, light pressure both opening and closing it, and nothing yet. How much pressure can I exert without breaking it? It's not a collection quality tool, as the flip side shows, so I'm not gonna buy tons of effort into it, mostly a learning exercise. Thanks.

I've had a few like this. I propped it up upside down & drenched it with some kind of penetrating oil. I let the penetrating oil soak down in there for a day or two & then hit it with some heat. You might have to gently use pliers or something to force the adjustment nut to turn a little to break up the rust on the screw. All of this assuming the bar isn't bent which can prevent it from moving up & down the bar.

 

[AreBeeBee]

I've had a few like this. I propped it up upside down & drenched it with some kind of penetrating oil. I let the penetrating oil soak down in there for a day or two & then hit it with some heat. You might have to gently use pliers or something to force the adjustment nut to turn a little to break up the rust on the screw. All of this assuming the bar isn't bent which can prevent it from moving up & down the bar.

I have also had luck using lighter fluid (Ronsonol as it happens) as the penetrating agent. However this was getting stuck pliers loose enough to work by hand.

 

[Farmer J.]

Any clues as to how dislodge the jaw, getting it to move?

Try smacking it around, hard, against a piece of scrap wood.

 

[AntiqueBen]

I posted this over on a Coes Key Wrench thread & I thought I would post it here to for reference:

I believe I found the book that has the story about the Coes 6ft Key Wrench. It's called "The Brother Coes and Their Wrench Legacy of Wrenches" written by author Herbert E. Page. It's actually an 86 page book about the entire history of Coes with pictured examples of every wrench that Coes ever made. I understand it has a whole section on the Key Wrenches. I also found the website where you can purchase this book for $45 HERE

The forward is even written by Loring Coes III. It looks like an awesome Coes resource with tons of specific info that can't be found anywhere else. Below are pics of book cover & ordering information.

 

[Beerhippie]

Here's my Coes' Knife Handle Wrench collection:









10" OAL. Everything moves like it should.

I'm wondering how to go about removing some of the rust without screwing up what's left of the handle slabs.

 

[crguy]

Here's my Coes' Knife Handle Wrench collection:









10" OAL. Everything moves like it should.

I'm wondering how to go about removing some of the rust without screwing up what's left of the handle slabs.

You could buy one in fine condition for less than the effort needed to redo that one.

 

[AntiqueBen]

You could buy one in fine condition for less than the effort needed to redo that one.

Ah....don't let it die on rust mountain. Just clean it up at the wire wheel & scrub the heck out of the handle with 0000 steel wool & wipe it down with boiled linseed oil. Just use it as a beater around the shop. You'll be happy you did it when it's finished.

 

[AreBeeBee]

Ah....don't let it die on rust mountain. Just clean it up at the wire wheel & scrub the heck out of the handle with 0000 steel wool & wipe it down with boiled linseed oil. Just use it as a beater around the shop. You'll be happy you did it when it's finished.

My thought is the same.

 

[Beerhippie]

You could buy one in fine condition for less than the effort needed to redo that one.

Your effort may be worth more than mine.

 

[AntiqueBen]

Your effort may be worth more than mine.

They don't makem like that anymore. It's rough, but not beyond saving.

 

[crguy]

They don't makem like that anymore. It's rough, but not beyond saving.

Wanna know where there are a few thousand more? And that was only part of them.

 

[AntiqueBen]

Wanna know where there are a few thousand more? And that was only part of them.

That might be a flask in his right hand. There's still that one elusive Coes Wrench that he could never find & it's driving him crazy

 

[RTM]

I'm wondering how to go about removing some of the rust without screwing up what's left of the handle slabs.

Soaked mine tip down in a drinking glass shaped evaporust container. Didn’t free it up, but it looks better. Scales were above the liquid line.

 

[Beerhippie]

Just out of the electrolysis vat w/lye, then a short soak in dilute phos acid. Amazingly, the lye and electrolysis didn't seem to have hurt the already trashed wood flakes much if at all!

Once it cools off, I'll hit it with some 4-0 steel wool to remove the now-loosened surface rust. I think it's going to come out... well... nicer.

****, it's at least 100 years old!

 

[AntiqueBen]

Just out of the electrolysis vat w/lye, then a short soak in dilute phos acid. Amazingly, the lye and electrolysis didn't seem to have hurt the already trashed wood flakes much if at all!

Once it cools off, I'll hit it with some 4-0 steel wool to remove the low-loosened surface rust. I think it's going to come out... well... nicer.

****, it's at least 100 years old!

Awesome! Another oldie saved from the rust pile

 

[Beerhippie]

Out of the 'vat and phos bath, an absolutely onerous few minutes of steel-wooling:



The phrase "Rode hard and put up wet" was coined to describe this poor old wrench, but it still deserves some loving'.

I paid about... nothing for it. With my hard physical effort and expensive chemicals, it's now worth maybe five bucks.

When the wood is fully dry--tomorrow evening?--I'll hit it all with some BLO and call it good.

 

[Beerhippie]

Awesome! Another oldie saved from the rust pile

Thanks, man. That's what we do!

 

[AntiqueBen]

Thanks, man. That's what we do!

Yes it is. Looks much better. That wrench will out last us all.

 

[3baygarage]

Wanna know where there are a few thousand more? And that was only part of them.
Love that picture, seen it a few times. I would caption it “Every monkey wrench I walked past and DIDN’t buy!”.

 

[crguy]

That might be a flask in his right hand. There's still that one elusive Coes Wrench that he could never find & it's driving him crazy

That was local to me. 6 to 7 thousand wrenches, 99% Coes. There was an estate sale where they tried to sell them, but only sold a few hundred. I didn't see a single baby Coes in the lot. Did buy the few odd wrenches he had that were good ones. I could have had that pile for $1 apiece at the end of the sale, but passed. The story was the guy was trying to break a bad drinking habit and took up collecting wrenches to keep him busy.

 

[AntiqueBen]

That was local to me. 6 to 7 thousand wrenches, 99% Coes. There was an estate sale where they tried to sell them, but only sold a few hundred. I didn't see a single baby Coes in the lot. Did buy the few odd wrenches he had that were good ones. I could have had that pile for $1 apiece at the end of the sale, but passed. The story was the guy was trying to break a bad drinking habit and took up collecting wrenches to keep him busy.

7 thousand wrenches instead of 7 thousand beers worked out better for him I'm sure